12 Days of Christmas: Recipe #6 Bacon Wrapped Dates

This is another one of those dishes that is a good "go-to" when you need a quick and easy recipe for that last minute dinner party. Let me tell you, it's a crowd pleaser! It is one of my staples. There are never any left on my serving platter at the end of the night. The sweetness of the date mixed with the smoky and saltyness of the bacon is a perfect match. Try and you will see!

INGREDIENTS
·bacon
·dates (pitted)

INSTRUCTIONS
· grease a cooking pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
· cut each slice of bacon in half length wise.
· roll a date in a bacon slice and secure it with a toothpick
· place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart
· bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes and flip sides
(they should be crispy and dark when fully cooked)

They can be served at room temperature, so you do not have to worry about cooking them right in time for serving. You could also create variations by stuffing the dates with blue cheese or by using apple smoked bacon. Mix it up!

Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas: Recipe #5 Cookies for Santa

Leave these adorable cookies out for Santa and he will not skip over your house this year! You may even get every thing on your list, that is, only if you were nice...

for cookies
INGREDIENTS
· 3 eggs · 2 sticks margarine · 1 cup sugar · 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla plus 1/2 tsp. vanilla for frosting · 2 tsp. baking powder · 1/2 tsp. salt · 3 1/2 cup flour · 2 cup powdered sugar · 2 tbsp. butter, melted · 3 tbsp. milk

INSTRUCTIONS
·With mixer, cream together margarine and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add in eggs, one at a time. When blended completely, add in vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add it to margarine mixture. Cover and chill for one hour.

·Roll 1/4 of the dough about 1/4 inch thick on a dusted flour surface. Cut out with floured cookie cutters. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Cool.

for icing
INGREDIENTS
· 2 cup powdered sugar
· 2 tsp. butter, melted
· 3 tsp. milk
· 1/2 tsp. vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS
·Blend completely. Separate into divided bowls. Leave one white. Add 2-3 drops food coloring to make the whole palette of color choices. Also you may use gum drops, red hots and other candies to decorate. Be creative! Most of all, have fun!

Mangia!

12 Days of Christmas: Recipe #4 Gingerbread Cookies

"Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" This recipe isn't as quick as the gingerbread man, but it is the best one that I have come across and it is a holiday classic.

INGREDIENTS
· 6 cups all purpose flour
· 1 tbsp. baking powder
· 1 tbsp. ground ginger
· 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
· 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
· 1 tsp. ground cloves
· 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
· 1 cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
· 1 cup molasses
· 1 cup brown sugar
· 1/2 cup water
· 1 egg
· 1 tsp. vanilla extract

INGREDIENTS
· Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside.

· In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until they are completely absorbed. Divide dough into 3 pieces, pat down to a 1 1/2 inch thickness, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an un-greased cookie sheet.

· Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies are done, they will look dry, but still be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks. When cool, the cookies can be frosted with the icing of your choice.

Mangia!

12 Days of Christmas: Recipe #3 Warm Crab and Pepper Dip

During the holidays, there are always so many parties to attend that require you to bring an appetizer to share. Working and Christmas shopping do not leave much time for slaving in the kitchen. This recipe is a quick and easy solution to the "bring an app" blues.

INGREDIENTS
· 1 cup of 2% shredded mozzarella cheese (divided in half)
· 1 pkg. (8 oz) of cream cheese, softened
· 1 tsp. garlic powder
· 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
· 1 medium red pepper, chopped
· 1 small onion, chopped
· 1 can (6 oz) crab meat, drained
· fresh parsley for garnish
· crackers for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
· Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Mix all ingredients until well blended.
· Spread into 9-inch pie plate.
· Bake for 20 minutes or until crab mixture is heated through and top is lightly browned. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Garnish with fresh parley. Serve hot with crackers.

Mangia!

12 Days of Christmas: Recipe # 2 Spiked Egg Nog

No holiday celebration is complete without a few drunk relatives. To make that happen here is recipe for a delicious homemade Egg Nog that will knock those cozy slippers right off!

INGREDIENTS
· 3 pt. milk
· 2 cups superfine sugar
· 16 oz. cognac or brandy
· 16 oz. cream
· 16 oz. dark rum
· 12 eggs
· grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS
Separate eggs and beat yolks and sugar together until thick. Stir in cognac (or brandy), rum, milk, and cream. Chill in fridge until cold. Just before serving, transfer the egg mixture from fridge to a chilled punch bowl. Beat egg whites until stiff and carefully fold whites into the egg nog without beating or stirring. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg.

Mangia!

12 Days of Christmas: Recipe #1 Struffoli

This recipe I am about to share with you brings back fond memories of Christmases at my Aunt's house in Scarsdale, NY. Growing up, we would travel to New York every year for Christmas. My family would pack up my mom's Volvo station wagon and drive from Charlotte to Scarsdale in one trip. I always looked forward to this trip because it meant good Italian food and playing card games with my Grandma. I would save up all of my change for the whole year so that I could play cards with her and lose it all. I didn't particularly like that part, but I loved spending time with her. My Aunt would have a variety of Italian pastries and cookies out in the dining room to munch on throughout the day. My sweet of choice was always Struffoli. I love how festive it looks and the sweetness of the pastry dipped in honey is just delightful. I have the recipe for it and have yet to make it because I am trying to watch my waistline. Horrible time to try to watch your figure, I know... so maybe you can try out the recipe for me!

INGREDIENTS
·3 cups all purpose flour
·4 eggs, beaten
·1/4 cup butter
·1/2 cup sugar
·1/2 tsp. salt
·2 tsp. baking powder
·1 tbsp. lemon zest
·1 1/2 cups honey
·3/4 cup pine nuts
·2 1/4 oz. colored sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS
·Melt the butter or margarine over low heat. Mix together in a large bowl 2 & 1/2 cups of the flour. Add sugar, baking powder, lemon rind, and salt. Make a depression in the middle. Drop the eggs and melted butter or margarine into the depression made. Mix with a wooden spoon and then with your hands, until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour as needed. Knead dough on floured surface.

·Break off pieces of dough and roll into ropes about the size of a pencil. Cut into pieces 1/4 inch long. Roll these pieces into little balls and set aside.

·In deep frying pan, heat oil about 2 inches deep. Fry ball until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

·In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 1/2 cups of pure honey to a boil. Let honey boil gently for 3 minuted before adding little dough ball, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until the are well-coated.

·Remove balls from honey with a slotted spoon and place in a deep dish or mound them on a platter. Sprinkle surface evenly with nuts and multi-colored sprinkles. Let cool.

Mangia!

Homemade Taffy

I found this recipe for homemade taffy in a children's science experiment book at my my boyfriend's mom's apartment over the Thanksgiving break. I was very intrigued because I didn't even know you could make homemade taffy, assuming it was too difficult. All I need is to get my hands on a candy thermometer and I will be all set.

INGREDIENTS
·1 cup sugar
·1/4 cup water
·2 tbsp. vinegar
·1 tbsp. butter
·1/2 tsp. vanilla
·deep pot
·mixing spoon
·candy thermometer
·plate

INSTRUCTIONS
·Combine sugar, water, and vinegar in deep pot. Clip candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Boil to 265 degrees or to the "hard ball" stage. (A drop of the mixture form a ball in a cold glass of water.)
·Add butter and vanilla, then pour onto a buttered plate to cool. It will be cool on the outside but hot on the outside. Butter hands and work mixture into a ball.
·Pull, fold, twist, and mix as much air into the mixture as possible. The taffy is done when it becomes a creamy color and difficult to pull.
·You can cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper for individual servings. I am not sure at what stage food coloring or flavoring could be added, but this would be fun to experiment with, too. These would be great for Christmas gifts!

Let me know if you are brave enough to try it...

Mangia!

Meatloaf, Meatloaf, Double Beetloaf!

Whenever I mention meatloaf, JJ recites the youngest brother's line in A Christmas Story, "Meatloaf, Meatloaf, Double Beetloaf", and it makes me laugh every time. You have to admit meatloaf has had a pretty bad rap over the years. There is nothing worse than a dry slab meatloaf! School cafeteria's across America did an injustice to one of our favorite comfort foods.

In case you were wondering the history of meatloaf...which of course everyone does- right? It originated during the Depression when thrifty chefs would try to stretch the amount of meat they had by adding bread crumbs. The meat usually consisted of turkey, chicken, sausage, veal, lamb, or pork. The addition of bread crumbs lightened the heavy dish as well as helped bind the wet ingredients together. I love knowing the stories behind foods; the why and how they came about.

I enjoy making turkey meatloaf because is heart healthy and delicious.

INGREDIENTS
·2 beaten eggs
·3/4 cup milk
·2/3 cup bread crumbs (I use Italian)
·1/4 cup finely chopped onion
·2 tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
·1 tsp. salt
·1/2 tsp. dried basil or oregano
·1.5 lbs of ground turkey
·1/4 cup ketchup
·2 tbsp. brown sugar
·1 tsp. ground mustard
·1/8 tsp. black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
·In a bowl, combine eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, oregano or basil, black pepper. Add meat; mix well. Lightly pat mixture into a loaf pan.
·Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until internal temp. registers at 160 degrees. In a bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and ground mustard; spread over meat. Bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand for 10 more minutes before serving.

Your turkey meatloaf should be moist and delicious and debunk everything bad you have ever heard about.
This one's a winner!

Mangia!

Seasonal Stew: acorn squash, apricots, and pork

I first made this hearty, fall stew last year and absolutely loved it. After buying some nice-looking acorn squash at the market last week, I thought this stew would be best way to use it. While slow cooking for hours, the acorn squash and pork soften up and become very tender; while the dried apricots and raisins plump up with goodness. The sliced onions mixed with a bit of sweetness really add a unique flavor to this stew. This is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes.

(prep: 20 minutes/ cook: 3.5 or 7 hrs.) (makes 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS
·1 1/2 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
·2 tbsp cooking oil
·1 1/2 lb. winter squash (Hubbard, butternut, or acorn) I love it with acorn squash!
·1 medium onion, sliced
·1/2 cup dried apricots
·2 tbsp raisins
·3 tbsp instant flour
·1 tbsp packed brown sugar
·3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
·1/4 tsp salt
·1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 tbsp steak sauce (I used worcestershire sauce)

INSTRUCTIONS
·Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1 inch pieces. In large skillet, cook meat in hot oil over medium-high heat until brown.
Drain off fat.
·In slow cooker, combine squash, onion, apricots, and raisins. Add meat. Sprinkle with flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice,
and salt. In medium bowl, combine broth and steak sauce; pour over meat.
·Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3.5 to 4 hours. Stir gently before serving.

Mangia!

Arugula-Endive Salad with Honeyed Pine Nuts

I found this recipe in Food & Wine magazine and thought I would share it with you. This sald reinvents the classic combo of blue cheese and honey and I have yet to make it, but it sounds exquisite!

(takes 25 minutes/ serves 4)
INGREDIENTS
·1/2 cup pine nuts (2.5 oz)
·2 tbsp & 2 tsp of honey (preferably clover)
·1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
·2 tsp whole grain mustard
·1/2 tsp dijon mustard
·1/4 cup EVOO
·kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
·4 cups baby arugula
·2 Belgian endives- halved, cored, and thinly sliced lengthwise
·4 oz Maytag blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat the sheet with cooking spray. In a non-stick skillet, combine the pine nuts with 2 tbsp of the honey. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring until the nuts are golden and coated with honey, 4 minutes. Pour the nuts onto the baking sheet. Using a spatula, spread the nuts in an even layer; let cool.

In a bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tsp of honey with the vinegar and the mustards. Gradually whisk the oil; season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, toss the arugula with the endives and blus cheese. Break the honeyed pine nuts into small pieces and add them to the salad. Add the dressing, toss to coat and serve.

Mangia!

BBQ Shrimp Bake

We decided to stay in and cook last night. BBQ Shrimp Bake is one of JJ's favorite dishes that I make. This recipe is just one of many that originated from my mom's kitchen. We were both in the mood for a home cooked meal and lucky for me, this one isn't that much work. You put all of the ingredients in a pan and leave it in the oven to do it's thing. The dish came out quite good even though we cut the size of the recipe to serve only two. It is a great meal to serve when having company over, when paired with a salad. Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS
·1 1/2 cups of margarine, melted
·3 lbs. of raw medium shrimp, in shells
·1/2 cup of Italian salad dressing
·2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce
·1 tbsp of soy sauce
·3 cloves of garlic, minced
·2 bay leaves
·3 tsp. of salt
· 2 1/2 tbsp. coarse ground black pepper
·juice of 3 lemons
·1 tbsp. paprika
·2 tbsp hot pepper sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Melt margarine in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add shrimp and all other ingredients. (Do not marinate the shrimp. Just combine all of the ingredients at once.) Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes if shrimp is at room temperature or at 30 to 40 minutes if shrimp is very cold. Stir several times while baking to combine all flavors. Shrimp is done when it has curled up. Serve over rice and with French bread for dipping.

Mangia!

Calzone Craving

My mom was in town this weekend and along with going out to dinner a few times, I knew I had to get a home cooked meal out of her. I tried to recall meals she used to make when I was growing up that I loved and I thought of her Calzones. I mean, these things could have won awards. I probably haven't had one in over 10 years and I have been craving them for the same amount of time. I thought this would be the perfect time for her to teach me her secret recipe. (not so secret anymore!) I had been talking them up to JJ over the past few years so he was equally excited to give them "a go."

We started off by finding a local pizza shop that would sell us unbaked pizza dough. My mom and I ended up buying 3 small (already rolled out) pizza doughs from Waldo Pizza for only $1.50 each. I think it was totally worth it because it saved us the trouble of having to make the dough ourselves. Once we got the pizza dough home, we took a rolling pin and rolled out the dough. We also rubbed both sides of the dough with a thin layer of flour to prevent sticking to the counter top. We prepared a baking pan by coating the bottom with EVOO and preheated the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, we mixed about 24 oz. of ricotta cheese, 12 oz. of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Then we separated the mixture into three parts equally for each calzone and placed each portion in the center of each pizza pie. We then folded over the pocket and used a bit of egg wash and the tip of a fork to seal the edges. There shouldn't be trapped air in the pocket, so do your best to seal the calzone by letting all the air out if you can so the dough doesn't rize too high. Once closed, we made sure to rub down the exterior with EVOO and sprinkled salt and pepper before baking. We baked the calzone at 350 degress for about 20 minutes and then flipped them for 5 minutes. They came out golden brown and crispy. My calzone was so huge that I can honestly say it satisfied my craving for another 10 years. Plan for leftovers. :)

You can get creative with the fillings and make it your own. You could add basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella; sausage and peppers; or even a mixed vegetable calzone with Italian cheeses.

Although, I am excited that I learned a new recipe from the Mama Italia kitchen, I am sad because I wish we could cook together more often. I really enjoy learning new things in the kitchen and watching her magic. I know the next time I eat a Calzone, I will think..."this doesn't even come close to my mom's!" and I will be reminded of our wonderful weekend together. Thanks, Mom.

INGREDIENTS
(serving size: three large calzones)
·pizza dough
·ricotta cheese (large container)
·mozzerella cheese
·parmesan cheese
·EVOO
·one egg
·flour
·salt and pepper

Mangia!

Homemade Chicken Noodle O's

After eating my dinner this evening, which is not worthy of discussion, (it was an english muffin veggie burger...yuck) I looked at my options to see what I could prepare for tomorrow's lunch. Usually, my next day's lunch is left-overs from my cooked meals from the night before, but because my dinner tasted like a chewy cardboard sandwich with ketchup, I vowed never to repeat it...especially for leftovers! Normally, this step of thoughtfully looking for something to cook up comes before eating dinner, but after a long day and a long work-out, I don't think my brain was functioning properly and it just needed dinner fast.

I peered in the fridge at all of the sad, wilted veggies and thought they would be much happier in an afterlife of soup. Also, just hearing the talk of people being sick when it is cold and wet outside makes me want to make some good 'ol homemade chicken soup. Why didn't this idea come to me when I was making myself dinner? As I was preparing the ingredients for the chicken soup, I kept being reminded of my sad, sad veggie burger because I just couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. I guess I will just have to look forward to tomorrow's lunch of Homemade Chicken Noodle O's and I am not even sick, so it will taste even better!

First, I began boiling about 1 pound of chicken tenders to cook them through out. While they were boiling, I chopped up two celery stalks, leaves and all. I also chopped up one half of a yellow onion and two large carrots. The chicken began floating on the top of the water in the pot and this is how I knew they were done. I drained the water out and poured 4 cups of chicken broth right back in the pot and put the pot right back on the stove. I then added 2 more cups of water and kept the stove top temperature on high to bring the soup to a boil. I dropped in the veggies (celery, carrots, onions), bay leaf, salt, pepper, shredded the chicken and put that in the pot. I covered the pot and waited for the soup to boil. Once it began to boil, I lowered the heat to simmering and left it alone for about an hour. I am not able to comment on how the soup tasted because I will not taste it until tomorrow's lunch. I will keep you posted, though. But this may just be the go-to soup for when that winter cold comes a coughin'.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. shredded boiled chicken breast (shredded)

4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water

1/2 pound "O" shaped pasta (I forgot the name but any Italian market should have it)

2 chopped celery stalks

2 sliced carrots

1/2 chopped yellow onions

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Mangia!

Sasquatch Challenge

It was our first night in Memphis and after checking into the hotel and watching the debates, we worked up an appetite only the Big Foot Lodge could satisfy. Also, it was the only place open on a Thursday night past 10 pm that was close to our hotel. This place had everything from Deep Fried Cornish Hens to BBQ Egg Rolls. Let's just say there was nothing much on the menu for dieters. I ordered Chicken Wings and JJ ordered the Catfish Sandwich. They were both pretty tasty and satisfied our hunger for some late night grubbin'.

As we were eating we could not help but notice a couple a few tables away from us with an enormous burger in front of them. Our server explained to us that the mighty dish was named the Sasquatch Burger. The burger contains 4 pounds of fresh ground chuck, two pounds of their custom made hamburger bun, and one and a half pounds of lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and cheese...seven and a half pounds total! The thing was freaking huge. The man at the table had dared to take on the Sasquatch Challenge the night we were there! How exciting?! The rules state that the burger must be consumed within 60 minutes without any help from anyone else, and if this is task is completed then you get the burger for free and your picture on the wall. I personally think you should win $1000 dollars or a prize much more rewarding. I mean you are basically gaining over seven pounds and intaking 6 days worth of calories in one hours time. We did not stick around to see if he fufilled the daunting task. It was kind of painful to watch. He was all sweaty and I just felt bad for the guy. Only four people have their names on the Wall of Fame and two of them are competitive eaters.

Original Fannie Farmer Cookbook

While staying at my boyfriend's grandma's house in Houston a couple of weeks ago, I came across a charming cookbook in the guest room one night. I was having a hard time sleeping and reached over to the bedside table and found the Original 1896 Fannie Farmer Cookbook from the Boston Cooking School. I perused the gilded pages in search of a simple recipe that I could experiment with. I found two.

Pineapple Lemonade
1 pint water
1 cup sugar
1 quart ice water
1 can grated pineapple
juice of three lemons

-make syrup by boiling water ten minutes and adding sugar, add pineapple and lemon juice, strain and then add ice water.

(I know Summer is over, but I could not resist this sweet drink recipe!)

Rice Waffles
1 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup cold cooked rice
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 egg

-mix and sift dry ingredients; work in rice with tips of fingers; add milk, yolk of egg well beaten, butter and white of egg beaten stiff, cook as waffles.

(I haven't tried this one yet, but I am thinking about it for brunch this weekend. They sound delicious.)

I will let you know how it goes. I love finding recipes from all over and filing them in my recipe binder. Some people collect figurines or coins...I collect recipes.

Many more posts to come from my trip to Memphis this past weekend. Stay tuned.